Michael Thomas talks show Rams wise to address Brandin Cooks last year

The Los Angeles Rams seem wise to have already taken care of Brandin Cooks last offseason when looking at the negotiation process currently going on with Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints.

Before Brandin Cooks even stepped foot on the field for an actual game for the Los Angeles Rams, the team felt confident enough in rewarding the speedy wideout with a hefty five-year extension worth $81 million, including $20.5 million guaranteed.

At the time, there were some doubters who criticized the move for the Rams, mainly because Los Angeles was the third team in three seasons for Cooks, and they seemed better off waiting to see how good of a fit he was in Sean McVay‘s offense.

One year later, no one seems to be questioning the move anymore after watching Cooks start every game for the Rams in 2018 while catching 80 passes for 1,204 yards, and six total touchdowns (one rushing).

Obviously, it’s tough to say the deal for Cooks was well worth it after only one season, but also it’s difficult not to love the potential moving forward now that he has a year of playing in this offense under his belt.

Plus, if Cooks continues to shine on offense for Los Angeles the way he did throughout the 2018 season, the decision to reward him with that extension last summer before even playing a single game could work out better than expected for the Rams.

These days, it’s insane to look at some of the money NFL players make, and it’s even more crazy to watch the asking price go up each year at certain positions.

Take a look at the New Orleans Saints for instance, who are reportedly in talks with Michael Thomas over possibly becoming the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, although the two sides seem to be far apart at the moment.

Still, with the way Thomas has quickly worked his way into becoming one of the most dominant players in the NFL at receiver, it seems like only a matter of time before both parties reach some sort of agreement.

If Thomas does eventually become the league’s highest-paid receiver, the one positive factor for the Rams in regards to this situation is they won’t have to worry about Cooks possibly using this as leverage over a future deal.

Thanks to the decision by Los Angeles last summer, it will be quite some time before they will need to worry about Cooks wanting a new deal, and whatever happens with Thomas will have little impact contract wise.